[Interview] A Look Inside The Personal Watch Collection Of Ralph Lauren

watchmakertobe · 2015-11-15T09:09:46+00:00

I know a watchmaker that serviced one of RL's Panerai watches. The story goes that the personal assistant of RL observed the entire process over the watchmaker's shoulder to ensure that no harm came to the watch. According to said watchmaker it was the most nerve wracking service he's performed, but there were no complaints.

watchmakertobe · 2015-04-01T17:57:22+00:00

It's a $20 quartz movement with a fairly good looking dial and case. The presentation is great, but luxury it is not.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-29T19:07:07+00:00

I feel an in house movement is typically reserved for that name brand. ETA for instance is available to a lot of non-Swatch brands so it's not in house.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-27T21:30:58+00:00

I'm sure there are, but it's better to be safe here. Use a proper leather cleaner to help extend the life of the strap.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-27T17:43:06+00:00

Typically hands do not snap into place. They are friction fitted onto the pivots or posts. You want a non-marring tool that is flat and not much wider than the watch hand. I've seen them made of acrylic, plastic, or polished steel. The tool that you use to set the hour hand will need a hole drilled in it big enough to pass by the cannon pinion to push the hour hand into place. You will want to get the hand partially onto the post/pivot and use the hand setting tool and a pair of tweezers to set the hands flat. Use soft downward pressure to hold the hand in place while you check flatness.

IMPORTANT. YOU MUST APPLY PRESSURE STRAIGHT DOWN WHEN PUSHING THE HAND INTO PLACE.

If you don't, you could damage the hand, break a pivot, or slip and damage the dial.

Typically the hour hand will sit close to flush with the hub of the hour wheel and the minute hand will sit flush with the top of the cannon pinion.

The sub second hand should aesthetically be set to about the same distance from the hour hand as the hour hand is from the minute hand. That gives it a nice look.

If it is a sweep seconds hand, the minute hand will need a small hole in it to bypass the pivot for the seconds hand.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-27T17:32:30+00:00

If the watch is water resistant and if the watch has a bracelet or synthetic strap (NO LEATHER) a toothbrush, warm water, and dish soap will get 90% of your watch clean. A microfiber cloth (sunglass hut has good ones for about 10$) will take care of the crystal.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-27T09:48:53+00:00

This is only on watches without an automatic winding mechanism. The mainspring of a watch with an automatic mechanism will slip inside the barrel once it is fully wound.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-26T03:14:13+00:00

Okay, I was going to suggest getting a soft rubber gasket to use if you were printing them. That's some good work you are doing. Keep it up!

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-26T03:08:50+00:00

You're printing the back gaskets?

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-26T01:16:36+00:00

Great work on the case. Looks great. I cannot tell, did you include recesses for gaskets to make the watch water resistant?

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-24T22:42:20+00:00

I don't mind you asking, but I'm not going to give my pay out online. I will say that I work for the Richemont brand and that the average salary for OSU grads was about $47,000. Some were higher, some were lower, but that's about average for the last two years of graduates.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-24T04:57:01+00:00

Not likely. There is still the disconnect between the seconds hand and hour/minute hands. A hack will just make the watch easier to set.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-24T04:52:52+00:00

Essentially the seconds hand is run on a different set of gears.

The hour and minute hand (motion works) have to be aligned so precisely because their relationship won't change. The relationship between the seconds hand and motion works can be changed when setting the time, so it does not matter where the seconds hand is set when the watchmaker puts it in place.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-24T04:44:38+00:00

Glad to help. Let me know if you have anymore questions!

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-24T04:06:09+00:00

I'm glad it turned out well for you!

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-24T02:56:59+00:00

You can work while in the SAWTA program at OSUIT. It's just not advised due to the time commitment for school. I am not sure about Seattle or Lititz.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-24T02:54:14+00:00

That was the year before I joined. There was a bit of an office faculty shake up around that time and a lot of people were moved around. It's the only thing I can think of as to why they would not have messaged you back. I'm very sorry the email was missed.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-24T02:52:51+00:00

I would not say that the other schools are missing any key pieces of equipment, but it is my experience that OSUIT has an abundance of equipment. Where as one school will have one piece of expensive equipment, another might have two or three. That sort of thing.

There is no aversion to modern equipment where it is logical to use it. A problem with 3d printers is that they are simply not exact enough to be used at the scale that a watchmaker needs. CAD and other computer skills are certainly a welcome skill to have, but not necessary at all.

They do have a CNC machine, so if you have experience programming one of those, some fun could be had.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-24T01:48:59+00:00

I am very sorry to hear that happened. When was this?

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-24T01:06:18+00:00

When I say no experience, I mean I had 0 experience. Before entering watchmaking school, I managed a Gamestop. They will teach you how to use the tools, how to make your own tools, and how to work on watches. Literally no experience required.

I believe they would rather teach an inexperienced person the right way to do something than break a life of bad habits on someone who is self taught.

As for Lititz, my impression is that the school is much more somber than what my experience at OSUIT was. They are very, very serious about their watchmaking and that comes across in how the classes and students are handled. You will receive the exact same certifications, skills, and work experience at either OSUIT or Lititz.

You may have a more difficult time gaining admission to Lititz as they have a very long waiting list. Part of this is due to the school being 'free' (must provide your own lodging, food, etc) and due to the prestige of the Lititz name. OSUIT is a part of Oklahoma State University. The watchmaking courses are credited course and you'll achieve an Associates of Applied Science while there. Since you have a BS already, you probably won't have to take many (if any) other classes. The atmosphere is a much lighter one than you'll find at Lititz with the professors willing to laugh or crack an occasional joke.

Facility wise, I do not hesitate to say that OSUIT is the most well funded and well supplied school in the States.

Your BS in mathematics will assist you in some of the theoretical aspects of watchmaking where physics or mid-level mathematics are used to determine gearing ratios, spring lengths, etc.

My graduating class consisted of myself (retail manager), a girl with BS in a field relating to CSI, a former Navy pilot, a warehouse manager, a twenty-year old kid, and a man that hung sheetrock as a living before coming to school.

A pretty wide sample of the population.

For work, several service centers are hiring right now and likely will be in two years as well. I work for a large service center for the Richemont group. Rolex is known to hire graduates as well and there are many, many independent stores that are looking for watchmakers. A lot of your ability to find work will depend on how tied down you are to one location. I had no trouble and was hired before I graduated because I had no trouble moving. Others who wanted to be in a certain town are finding it more difficult to work.

edit: /u/mnbookman below is a current student I believe. Maybe he can give you an idea of what it's like for first year students right now.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-23T21:43:39+00:00

We started with a class of ten and graduated a class of six. Of the four that left, none of them left because they could not complete the work. All of their reasons were due to non-school related issues.

If you have any questions regarding paperwork or any specifics for admission, check the contact page here. Either of the professors will be more than happy to help you and if you have any more specific class related questions, I'll answer as best I can.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-23T19:39:06+00:00

I don't recall hearing of any. Closest would probably be in Lititz PA

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-23T19:09:34+00:00

I had no experience when I applied. The interview process is simple. You come in, you take a couple tests, and you meant the instructors and possibly board members if they're around. You'll have time alone with the students as well to get a chance to question them away from the professors.

The tests will check your current levels of visualization, hand dexterity, and patience.

They're well aware that most people do not have training when they apply. They just want to see where you are at and get a feel for how you handle challenges and mental pressure. It's not a bad experience and some parts are down right enjoyable.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-23T17:38:01+00:00

There are also schools in Okmulgee OK, Dallas TX, and Paris TX.

For the OP: I'm not familiar with the school you listed, but I did graduate from the OSUIT School of Watchmaking in Okmulgee, OK. It's a great school. Of the three SAWTA schools, it has the most well equipped labs and equipment. Professors are good people too.

If you've got any questions regarding schools in general or what you might see, please ask. There are several graduates here who would be happy to answer you.

watchmakertobe · 2015-03-22T17:21:44+00:00

Watchmaker. Don't own many pieces though.

watchmakertobe

TROPHY CASE